Shehu Dikko, the newly appointed Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) of Nigeria, has expressed interest to include beach soccer in the National Sports Festival. This development comes after a courtesy visit from Mahmud Hadejia, President of Africa Beach Soccer Union (ABSU), and Musa Nimrod, Commission President of the Confederation of Africa Volleyball Beach (CAVB).
A Boost for Beach Soccer in Nigeria
Hadejia, who is also the national coordinator of the Nigeria Beach Soccer League (NBSL), praised Dikko’s appointment and impressive track record. “This didn’t come to us as a surprise at all because your track records speak for you and President Tinubu finding you worthy is a marvellous decision that would transform and reshape our sporting landscape for a prosperous future” – Hadejia.
He went further to highlight ABSU’s efforts in the promotion of beach soccer across Africa, and his strides in Nigeria developing the domestic league. “The Nigeria Beach Soccer League currently in its fourth season, has seen significant growth with various states and local communities embracing the game, which can be played in every part of the country. We have seen recently a lot of states and local communities embrace the game.” – Hadejia concluded.
Synergy Between Beach Soccer and Beach Volleyball
CAVB President Musa Nimrod stressed the synergy between beach soccer and beach volleyball, citing potential gains in future competitions like the African Beach Games and Olympics. “It will be a thing of joy for Nigerians to see it as something we can continue growing very fast to gain laurels ahead of the African Beach Games next year and future competitions like the Olympics.” – Nimrod
Inclusion in the National Sports Festival
Shehu Dikko thanked the delegation and expressed interest in including beach soccer in the National Sports Festival. “I will meet with the Main Organising Committee soon, and we will consider having beach soccer as a demonstration event, with a view to including it in future festivals.” He emphasises, “We can’t be playing the game at CAF and FIFA tournaments and we can’t have it in our sports festival which will serve as a way to discover more talents for the game.” – Dikko
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This move could boost beach soccer’s growth and popularity in Nigeria, leveraging the festival’s platform to discover new talent and promote national unity. With the 22nd National Sports Festival approaching, beach soccer may become a prominent sport in Nigerian athletics. The visit concluded with ABSU presenting souvenirs to Chairman Dikko.
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